The Untold Saga of the Mellark Children, Volume 4
by IAmEverdeen98
Summary: The ending of my little short story. I usually don't do tidy endings, but I felt lik this type of story needed that kind of ending. Thank you for all the wonderful support and reviews!


The Untold Saga of the Mellark Children, Part 10

Cinna was terrified of his sister's new boyfriend. Well, not really terrified of him, but of the possibility of his intentions. They had never really talked much, but the thought constantly lurked in the very back corners and alleys of his brain. Cinna had already lost so much of Rue to her journalism, and almost lost her altogether a month ago after she had a little run-in with old schoolmates. They had barely spoken until then, and now, with a fresh realization of how fragile their bonds actually were, they called or wrote each other every week. Then Charles.

Oh, God, _Charles…_

She met him in District 3. He was a TOTAL techie. If you handed him a wristwatch, he could take it apart, identify each individual gear, and reassemble it at lightning speed. When asked, Rue would say it was his intellect, not looks or money that attracted her, although he himself wasn't bad looking (according to Cinna's mother). Neither was he poor. He was about middle-class, Cinna guessed. Rue didn't do too badly. But every time they gave each other that sappy look that made Cinna's teeth grit together almost to the point of breaking, or kiss each other in that way like they had no idea there were others in the room who may just have a spasm and accidentally kick Charles in the stomach, it came up, back from the depths of his mind. Visions of Rue in a veil increased with every family dinner Charles came to. One day, he tried asking her about her relationship with him, how serious it was, etc.

"Um, Rue? Can I ask you a question, or two?" he said as Charles finally sped away in his sensible silver sedan.

"Yeah, sure, ask away," said Rue, distracted with waving good-bye to her date too enthusiastically.

"Has Charles, uh, tried to, ya know…bring the dating a little further along? Try and go past where you are right now?"

Rue raised a flawlessly shaped eyebrow. "Mr. Cinna Gale Mellark, are you asking what I think you're asking?"

Uh oh. The one raised eyebrow thing meant something went REALLY WRONG in that last sentence. "Oh, no, no no! NOT that! It's NOT that at all! What I meant to say is…" Cinna gulped.

"Go on, I wanna hear this!" Rue was trying valiantly to suppress her characteristically loud, almost embarrassing laugh.

"Has he asked you about…marriage?" To show her exactly what he thought about that, he gagged loudly.

Rue erupted. Her ringing, bellowing guffaw echoed throughout the whole house. Both parents came rushing downstairs to hear what was so funny. Though she struggled to talk through her little laughalanche, as Cinna called them, Katniss and Peeta could both tell what had just happened, but no laughter here. Soon, she stopped, seeing that nobody else thought it was funny.

"Woah, did you really think that he was gonna propose?"

All 3 nodded.

"Just so we're clear, I never plan on getting married. Geez, it's just dating! Relax!"

Cinna sighed in relief. THAT was nice to hear.

The Untold Saga of the Mellark Children, Part 11

Would you believe it if I told you I still worry about my children's future, after they are all grown up, and have even escaped death?

I mean, I did that several times growing up, but my kids live in a very different Panem than I did. But seeing as the people who tried to kill them were part of an organization, and their death didn't make the threat go away, I still worry. I'm making the kids stay with Peeta and me, just for security. But I'm getting nightmares again, like the ones I got in the aftermath of the Games/revolution, only instead of President snow stalking me through a party with his flicking snake tongue, it's some underworld gangster stalking my daughter; it's my son frozen in place watching himself in propaganda ads, saying things he doesn't believe.

But there's someone there when I wake, screaming. My dandelion in the spring, the old promise of rebirth, the optimism and comfort I ached for is still here. And there is no way I will leave that.

My children have grown into wonderful, fresh, new idea-makers, the product of a unified Panem. Cinna…while we aren't as close as we were years ago, he is still an object of my deepest love. And Rue, my oldest daughter, has become so like her father in temperament and energy, and like me in appearance, people really can't mistake her for another's child. I should be happy, be satisfied, like any other mother with grown children, but I'm not. I won't be totally relaxed until any threat towards them is gone. Forever. But I know that Gale is working on it, and his capable hands have my trust.

The Untold Saga of the Mellark Children, Part 12

People are getting onto me for not having a wife.

Seriously?

And how can I find a decent person, here in the Capitol, with all of the women my age are shallow, good-for-nothing snobs who would only marry for money (more than they already HAVE) and all that other crap you get with snippy old wealthy women. Oh, wait, I do know this one woman, and she's amazing. She's not picky, she's beautiful, and I've known her since I was 14.

It's too bad she's married.

Is it pathetic that I still love the girl who left me in the forest alone after SHE proposed we run away together? Yes. An ancient book I saw once, something called _Pride and Prejudice,_ reminds me of this situation. After Darcy tries to propose to that snob Elizabeth, she dumps him out in the rain because he tried to help her. _And he continues to love her._ The only real difference is that, while Ms. Bennett actually liked him as well, Katniss doesn't.

I don't have anyone to pass the country on to. I think I may just ask a member of my cabinet to take over. Or I could make the country a democracy before I resign, have the people decide for me. At any rate, I can't do this anymore. When we were scraping out as much of the country as we could, trying to recover from a bloody revolution, I was full of ideas and spirit. But years of this have worn me down. Any fire I had is gone. And while I can't have the girl of my dreams, it's at least nice to know that her kids are alright.


End file.
